Til The End Of The Line
by okidokifili
Summary: Andy was quite happy being just a plain museum curator until she befriended Steve Rogers. Now, after the events of New York and the collapse of SHEILD she's thrown into a world of spies, scientists and war. When the Winter Soldier begins to remember, what will that mean for her and the Avengers? Whose side will he choose? Bucky/OC Set after events of TWS it may contain spoilers.
1. Andromeda But Please, Call Me Andy

**Hey guys! So I've seen Captain America: The Winter Soldier twice and I've fallen completely and irrevocably in love with Bucky Barnes. Not that I didn't love him before, but now it's just been amplified by tears and angst. I wanted a BuckyxOC fic, and a general Bucky and Avengers fic so I thought why not just write one aha?**

**Things will be taken slow, and events in this story will be set AFTER Captain America: The Winter Soldier so if you haven't seen it yet, there may be spoilers ahead. You've been warned! **

**Disclaimer: I own nothing of Marvels, I only own Andy and my plot. Any characters or sub-plots that you find familiar belong to Marvel.**

_**WARNING! MAY CONTAIN SPOILERS TO THE WINTER SOLDIER!**_

* * *

"Best out of eight?" I asked desperately as Sam chuckled, folding his arms across his chest in victory. We were playing the card game 'Cheat', which I was losing 2-6 by the way, as we waited for the news to come back from Stark tower.

Sam shook his head with a laugh on his face. "Sorry Andy, but you really suck at this game…So no." I watched his back with a frown as he pulled a carton of juice out of the fridge, "Besides, do you even know _how_ to play?" He asked as he turned to face me as he took a swig. Scowling while merely grinned, I attempted to make a tower out of cards to pass the time.

I should probably introduce myself shouldn't I? My name is Andromeda Marie Carington, but I prefer Andy. Andy doesn't sound like I should be tied to a rock as a sacrifice as much. At least I hope not, 'cause that doesn't sound too fun.

Don't be fooled by me living in America either, I'm British through and through and damn proud of it, even if Stark insists on calling me Queenie every now and then. But anyway, back to what matters.

And when I say what matters, I of course mean my failing tower of cards.

"When can we go back to Stark tower?" I whined, stretching in my seat. "No offence Sammy but your place doesn't have as many toys as Starks, and I miss J.A.R.V.I.S! It's been 2 weeks without that guy and I miss him like crazy."

Sam shook his head as he checked for messages, "You know that J.A.R.V.I.S isn't-"

"Real, yeah yeah I know…." I muttered to myself. Picking up the cards again I began to sort them into suits. "What's going on anyway?" Spinning to face him in my seat I saw him leaning against the counter top looking thoughtful.

"You were there when those helicarriers were destroyed and S.H.I.E.L.D headquarters collapsed…" I flapped my hands in the air for emphasis, "What's going on Falc?"

He snorted a bit at his nickname, "Falc…" Grinning he groaned and paused. "You're not even meant to know about any of this you know? Tony has a big mouth that he should have kept shut. Not that it matters anymore," He glanced up nervously, "now that S.H.I.E.L.D doesn't exist."

Fumbling with my drink I slammed it down in shock at what he'd said.

I didn't belong to S.H.I.E.L.D; I wasn't a spy, or an assassin, or even anyone with a special talent or power. I was just a 23 year old woman who worked as a curator at the local museum. Steve visited a lot, and when I say a lot, I mean he came by everyday with his hoodie and his sweatpants on as he tried to blend in with modern day fashion. That's how I got tangled up in all this.

You could tell if you looked close enough that he wasn't just a fan, that he was there for more than just the 'Captain America' exhibit; he told me once that he was there to visit his friends since some were dead, and the others didn't even remember who they were.

He'd been coming in for 4 months before I plucked up the courage to talk to him. He was stood in front of the main stage which held the Howling Commandos outfits. I can still remember how kind he was even after everything that had happened to him.

"_I won't tell anyone." I whispered to the man next to me. Out of the corner of my eye I could see him turn to look at me with slight lines of worry on his face, turning he began reading the info block again._

"_I always wondered you know, who came up with the name 'The Howling Commandos'?" Pulling my gaze away from the stage in front of me I snuck a peak at the man to my left. "Not that it's not a good name, I think it's awesome. A bit unusual but-" A deep frown was set on his face as he gazed at me._

_I faltered as I shuffled my feet a little. "What?" I asked quickly, to which he just looked away. _

"_You a fan?" He asked tightly, his hands folded neatly in front of him. Was I a fan? Yes. Was I _that_ kind of fan? No._

"_Sort of." Feeling his confused stare I continued, "More of a historian really. Not just for you, not that you don't deserve your own…" I shook my head as I babbled, "Anyway, just a curator really. I get to look after everything from the Second World War, it deserves it and people deserve to know about what you guys did."_

_Nodding, he looked at the costumes again._

"_More of an admirer than a fan." I added quickly as he continued reading._

_I began rocking on the balls of my feet awkwardly as silence settled over the two of us. Stealing glances to see if he'd moved I was disappointed to see that he was still gazing intently at the clothes. "Well" I sighed," it was nice to meet you Captain Rogers." _

_I don't think I'd gotten any more than 4 steps away when I heard a nervous "Do you like coffee?" from behind me._

I just replied with a toothy grin. We soon became friends, him telling stories of 'the old days' and me teaching him how to use technology and how to live in the modern world. We'd been friends for 5 months when he got called in by S.H.I.E.L.D to help with the Battle of New York, which was when I was introduced to the rest of the 'Avengers' as they'd decided to call themselves.

They all went their separate ways for a while, Steve went travelling for a few months; although he always sent a letter every Thursday without fail. Tony, well, Tony invited an international terrorist to his house which as you can probably guess, didn't end too well. Thor took Loki back to Asgard, only to be sighted again in England. Bruce? He stayed at Stark Tower, playing with Tony's toys like the science geek he was.

And I'm pretty sure Clint just took some time off. Not that I'd blame the guy of course. We stayed in touch, Tony would invite us all to his gala's and to movie nights in with him and Pepper. Everyone started to feel more at ease after a while when the reality of them being a team settled in, and eventually I just kind of became another member of the group; Just like Sam.

But that's a story for another time.

"So…S.H.I.E.L.D's….gone?" I repeated slowly, letting the words sink in. Pacing I turned to face the smug man in front of me, his eyes twinkling with mischief as he watched me connect the dots. _If Steve and Natasha helped take down S.H.I.E.L.D then…_

"You helped?! I'm shocked!" Holding my hand over my heart in mock shock I laughed heartily when he looked at me genuinely hurt. Punching his arm teasingly I pulled out my phone and sent a quick text to Steve.

'_What's going on over there? X'_

Shoving my phone back in my pocket I leant against the counter too, "Were you a badass?"

"Oh I was most _definitely_ a badass." He chuckled, "In fact, I think I was better than Captain America him-"

"Hello?" Our heads snapped to the hallway as we heard Steve's voice. "Kitchen!" I shouted back as we stood up straight, brushing ourselves down as we did so.

He was wearing jeans and a plaid shirt, which was becoming more and more of a normal occurrence for him, when he stepped into the kitchen. Hands in pockets, and a stupid grin on his face I suddenly found myself leaping at him without a second thought.

"You could have called you know, you only have to press number-"

"One, I know." He chuckled as he wrapped his arms around me. Pulling my arms back from around his neck I hit him playfully on the arm and stuck my tongue out.

"We need to go." He said seriously as I started packing away the deck of cards, frowning I nodded automatically.

"Do we get an explanation?" Steves gaze flickered over to Sam's in understanding. "Just you, Ann."

Growing silent I moved into the bedroom to collect my things into a bag, Steve was one of the few people who called me 'Ann', and more often than not it was his way of saying that things were serious.

Not bothering to fold anything I shoved anything I could find of mine as fast as I could into my duffle before heading back into the kitchen where they were waiting.

Hushed whispers fell silent when I entered the room, "Ready?" I chirped with a tight lipped smile, pretending that their whispering wasn't bothering me.

Plonking my bag on the table I smiled as Sam pulled me into a tight hug, "Be careful Andy, tell J.A.R.V.I.S I said hi." Giggling I agreed as I walked to the hallway with Steve, swinging my bag over my shoulder on the way.

"I hope you haven't brought the bike!"

* * *

"So Hydra was controlling S.H.I.E.L.D? And they're still out there? How have they _survived?_" It turns out that Tony had leant Steve a very fancy looking sports car.

"Arnim Zola." He said bitterly, "He was-"

"One of Hydra's best scientists. Known for his brilliant mind and experiments on prisoners of war…" Turning in my seat to face him I leant my head against the headrest, "How is he even still alive?"

"He's not." We took a sharp turn left. "He transferred his consciousness onto a supercomputer at an old S.H.I.E.L.D base, before blowing it up that is."

My mouth formed an 'o' shape as I twisted in my seat again. Steve's eyes were shifty, which usually meant something was bugging him. Knowing that he'd tell me in his own time I concentrated on trying to work out what all the secrecy was about, but mostly I was just thinking about the Avengers.

Truth was I was looking forward to being back at Stark Tower. Tony said that I wasn't allowed back until he'd 'Avengerfied' the place with everyone's own apartment level, which apparently included me. Why he included me I have no idea, especially since -

"Andy?" I was pulled out of my thoughts of my possibly-existing apartment by Steve's hand shaking my arm gently.

"Hmm? I was daydreaming." I yawned a little and mumbled a little sorry.

He let out a breathy laugh, "I said that the Winter Soldier is at Starks."

My body stiffened as I looked at his nervous demeanour. Natasha had told me about him before, showed me her scar after we thought that Nick had died; he was who put Steve in hospital, the one that Steve didn't want to talk about.

My eyes scanned the road ahead, "I thought you didn't want to talk about him."

Pulling into the garage at Starks tower he cut the engine as we sat there in silence for a beat or two. I didn't dare look at him; I knew that whatever he had to say was important because he had a terrible habit of tapping his fingers to the rhythm of drums of war when he was stressed.

"It's not him." He spoke quietly.

Scrunching my brows I faced him confused, "I thought-"

"It's _Bucky._" He choked out, his voice breaking at the end as his grip on the steering wheel tightened and the tapping stopped. "When I rescued him back then…He was one of Zola's prisoners of war. They must have experimented, tried to replicate the serum somehow."

I bit my lip as he looked ahead helplessly.

"He fell, Ann. I watched him fall off that train and die and _now…_" I grabbed his hand gently, "And now I find out that he's _alive_, but is he? He's gone through torture, years of brainwashing and experimentation to make him into the _winter soldier; _the ultimate weapon." He ground out.

Gently I stroked my thumb across the back of his hand. I didn't know what else to do other than to listen, to listen and to be the stronger one for once as he broke down into silent sobs of pain, relief, anger and fear all at once for his friend.

He turned to look at me with a stray tear on his cheek. "What if that Bucky is really gone?"

* * *

It was 40 minutes before we got out of the car to go up to the top level of Stark tower, and the atmosphere was still thick. I was so focused on helping Steve that it wasn't until then that I realised how nervous and scared I was about meeting the soldier. I'd heard all of Steve's tales of him and Bucky when they were younger, how they met when Bucky saved Steve from a bunch of bullies, how they'd been in art class when they'd heard that America had joined the Second World War, how desperate Steve was to join so Bucky trained him at Goldie's Boxing Gym; the same gym that Steve still uses to this day.

But this wasn't that man. Not anymore, and I wasn't convinced that it ever would be again.

I snapped out of my thoughts as the elevator door opened to reveal a sombre looking group of people. I smiled nervously as my eyes landed on a broken man sat on an armchair near Clint, but his gaze didn't move from the mug on the table in front of him.

"Queenie!" Tony called excitedly, making his way over to us quickly while Steve moved towards the seating area slowly.

I let out a nervous laugh as Tony pulled me into a tight hug, "Tony," I squeezed my arms around the man who'd become like a brother to me, "I've missed your dumb ass." I added chuckling.

"Well who _wouldn't _miss my ass? It's delicious." He flashed a tight grin before we both looked behind us at Steve talking quietly to who I knew from pictures to be Bucky Barnes. Eyes followed Steve's finger over to us before dropping again as if he'd been burnt.

He looked over again quickly before dropping his head back down to his mug and nodding mutely.

"He's broken, don't worry." Tony spoke lowly, capturing my attention again.

"Why would that not worry me?" I asked with furrowed brows. Opening my mouth to argue he beat me to it.

"I _mean_, he's harmless." He corrected, "For now anyway. Turns out that Capsicle over there somehow cracked through 70 years of brainwashing and torture; we've got footage of him checking out the museum with the war info-"

"What? Which one? The one that I work at? The one downtown?" I interrupted quickly.

Shrugging he continued, "Jeez, slow down! Yeah, turns out he paid _particular_ attention to the Bucky Barnes section." Tony raised his brows, "Bruce seems to think that this isn't the first time it's happened either, that if he started remembering after just seeing Steve then it's entirely possible that it could have happened before and they'd just 'reset' him."

We'd wandered into the hall since it meant that we could talk a little easier. Sliding down the wall I placed my head in my hands silently.

"That doesn't mean that he's going to be the Bucky that Steve knew." I sighed rubbing my eyes, "Does Steve know that?" I asked up from the floor, already knowing the answer.

The silence was all I needed to know.

"Introductions are needed," I grasped his outstretched hand as he pulled me to my feet, "Just don't call him Bucky, we think it's a trigger." He whispered quickly as we slipped back into the room.

Nodding quickly we sat down with the rest of the guys, flashing a smile at Nat and Clint I sunk down next to Steve who was perched on the arm of the sofa.

Not knowing what to do I began to wring my hands as they grew sweaty with nerves. _This man has killed people. Killed innocent people. He tried to kill Steve and Nat. He would have killed you if given the chance._

His unsure eyes rose from his mug to meet my unsteady gaze before flashing to Clint for reassurance. As I made a mental note to ask about that later, I put on my best smile and waved from my seat awkwardly.

"Hi, I'm Andy nice to meet you…" Blushing and panicking I trailed off realising that I had no idea what to call him; Steve had mentioned his first name was James, but if 'Bucky' was a trigger then perhaps that was too?

"Buchanan." He spoke with a slight croak, as if he wasn't used to speaking. "Buchanan."

Feeling a little more at ease I released a breath I didn't even know I'd been holding as I sank backwards in my seat. Glancing away he set back as conversation began to flow around us as if nothing had changed.

* * *

**Oh my god that was harder than I thought. Does it flow? Does it make sense? I know some bits must be really awkward but I needed this first chapter to just set everything up for the rest of the story! So bear with me 'cause the ride will get less bumpy :) But let me know what you think of the story and of Andy. Was everyone in character enough? They'll be getting better with the next couple of chapters and so will the writing.**

**How do you guys think Bucky is going to be rehabilitated into the modern world? Please review and let me know your thoughts!**


	2. What's A Marshmallow?

"Welcome back Miss Carington," A pleasantly familiar voice spoke from above, "I trust the ride here was enjoyable?"

Turning away from the kettle to glace up at the ceiling I smiled with ease for the first time in what seemed like hours.

"J.A.R.V.I.S! I've missed you, how are you?" I spoke quietly knowing that the A.I could hear me. The last time that Tony had found me talking to J.A.R he teased me to no end; it's not like he doesn't do it himself anyway.

"Very well Miss Carington, and I must say that your presence is a welcome change to Mr Starks consistent moaning." Giggling slightly I began to search the cupboards for my hot chocolate that I always kept hidden.

"Has Tony moved-"

"Top cupboard, on your left." I guess Tony had moved it after all. "Mr Stark had a bit of a move around one morning," Pulling out three mugs I set them on the side and began spooning in the powder. "And when I say morning, I of course mean 2:30am."

"Naturally." I mumbled as I placed the tub back in a more accessible cupboard for my stupidly short 5'4 height.

"How have things been here J.A.R.V.I.S?" Pouring milk into the cups I stirred it lazily.

He paused, "Strained. Miss Potts is frustrated with the current situation."

"Understandable." I muttered.

"And Mr Stark is concerned for everyone's safety after the fall of S.H.I.E.L.D, it would seem that all the cards are on the table now." He finished dramatically.

Licking the spoon I chucked it in the sink and grabbed the mugs, juggling two in one hand. "Yeah I guess so, too bad Tony never was any good at cards."

Shuffling slowly as to not spill the drinks, I joined the Avengers back in the main sitting room. Everyone had relaxed a little once Buchanan let out a little laugh at a joke that Clint told, not that it changed anything, but I guess it kinda broke the ice a bit.

"Order's up Cap." I spoke quietly as I handed him the mug from my right, "Two sugars and a dash of milk?"

Sipping slowly he let out a satisfied sound, "Just the way I like it. Thanks Andy."

Nodding I sat down in my vacated seat and held out the other mug to the silent soldier. "I don't know if you like hot chocolate, or if you've ever had it, but it's nice." He eyed the mug suspiciously before taking it gently. "It's a lot nicer than Stark's coffee." I smiled kindly before taking a sip of my own.

He cradled it with his hands like Steve was doing, hands placed in the exact same position and only drank when Steve drank. _Strange._ Taking a sip of my own, I saw him shift to drink some too. _Stranger._

"This is…nice." I heard to my right, glancing at Steve I realised that he was too entranced in what Natasha was saying to have spoken. Buchanan looked about nervously when I shifted my gaze to him.

Turning to face him with a kind smile I tried to speak easily. "Chocolatey, huh?"

He nodded silently and looked into his cup, "I've never had it before. At least I don't think I have…I don't…" I started panicking a little when his jaw flexed and his fist tightened. _Say something. Anything._

"But it's nice." He finished as I was desperately trying to think of something to say. Relaxing a little I sipped a bit more, chuckling inwardly when he did the same.

"You haven't even had my best yet. Hot chocolate in a tall mug with whipped cream, grated chocolate and marshmallows." He placed his empty mug down on the table, "It's _heaven._"

"Sounds nice…" He trailed off in thought, his stubbled face scrunched slightly in concentration; His tired and lifeless eyes seemed less robotic than before; it was when they connected with mine that I began to worry.

"What's a marshmallow?"

* * *

"Wow." Walking through the door into a cosy looking living room I was floored by how perfect everything looked. There was a bare brick wall on the far side with a fake fireplace that had logs and fairy-lights in, the mantelpiece held a mounted TV that was overly large for any normal person. In front of the fireplace was a large, light grey sofa and an armchair with numerous patterned cushions on and neatly folded blankets.

The walls were painted a pale yellow colour, apart from the right side which was a floor to ceiling wall of windows; just like in the main room upstairs except for the hanging lace curtains either side. I smiled when I saw the canvases and wooden signs with kitschy quotes on from my old apartment; and the vase of sunflowers on the 60's style sideboard made it complete.

"Tony it's…." Struggling to find words I clasped my hand in front of my face.

"Fabulous, airy, modern, vintage, _expensive_, disgustingly girly –" Feeling tears pricking at my eyes I spun around to shut him up.

"It's _perfect."_ I squeaked as a tear escaped, my hand flying up to wipe it away.

Giving me a look that just said 'well yeah' he pulled me in for a hug. "You're an honorary Avenger now half-pint."

"I'm not that short." I sniffed.

"Yes you are."

"You're short too." I sniffled.

"I'm gonna pretend you didn't say that." Kissing my head he let go as Steve came in, Clint in tow.

I could feel Steve's worried gaze and quickly waved him off, insisting that I was fine. I was caught off guard when Clint slung an arm around me in a one arm hug; I'd missed the archer's boyish nature and his terrible jokes.

"Why did he look to you back there?" I asked him quietly while Steve and Tony argued about why there was nothing but ice cube décor in his apartment.

"Who? Buck-"

"_Buchanan."_ I corrected, worried that perhaps the Soldier had supersonic hearing or something and would destroy the tower in seconds if he heard that goddamn word. _You heard Tony, he's harmless._ Yeah, for now.

"_Buchanan._" Clint repeated. "We talk. Guess it's nice for him to know that there's someone here who knows what it's like to be controlled; to not know what you're doing. I wish I had someone to relate to back then, would've made things a whole lot easier." I frowned as he shrugged his arms across his chest defensively, "It's the worst thing that I can think of, to be unmade and used; wouldn't wish it on anyone." He frowned.

"Except Loki." I offered slyly, tugging on his arm.

He brightened, mirth returning to his eyes with a breathy laugh. "Except Loki." We shared a knowing smile as Steve's and Tony's voices brought us back to the present.

"He remembers, Tony; he was copying what I did. He knows me!" Steve argued, his chest heaving with emotoion.

"Cap…" Tony shook his head. Steve's lips pressed themselves into a tight line as he turned to Clint for back-up, sticking his hands in the air in surrender the archer backed out.

He turned to me.

I could lie. _Does Steve really deserve that though?_ No, but he doesn't deserve what he's going through either._ So a lie is what he deserves from one of the people that he trusts the most?_ I didn't say that. _You thought it though._

I sucked in a breath. "You want the truth?" Nodding once he crossed his arms into a barrier.

"Did you ever think about how Buchanan dressed up like a civilian to visit the museum?" I spoke quickly, "Did you ever think about how someone like him – someone who is more weapon than he is human – brushed his hair back and put on a cap?"

Ignoring Steve's flinch I carried on. "He chose the right sweater, the right jacket, hell! Even the right _shoes, _in order to look _human._"

Hands dropping to his sides I watched as defeat found its way onto his face, "I'm not saying that he won't remember, because he might. But what I am saying, is that did you ever think about how looking human was a disguise for him? How copying you wasn't him remembering you but him trying to use you as someone to map himself on; To learn from how to be human again?"

He wouldn't meet my gaze so I turned to Tony who only looked on with encouragement. "Steve it's going to take time. He was a machine for 70 years, that's a long time and I bet it doesn't take too long for people to lose themselves to – _Steve!"_ I called as he turned and stormed out of the apartment, slamming the door behind him.

"He needed to hear it." I heard Tony say, but my eyes stayed locked on the door that was slammed only moments ago.

He did need to hear it. But that didn't stop the sick feeling in my stomach. Turning to face the two men I sighed. "Then why do I feel like such a terrible person?"

* * *

"Mind if I sit?"

One of the perks of Stark tower – or should I call it Avenger tower now? – was that there were plenty of places to run and hide when you needed to be alone; my personal favourite was the roof. If you went out onto Iron Man's platform and snuck around the side there was a wall ladder that led to the highest point of the tower.

Sitting down anyway, Steve looked around confused. "How did you manage to get a sofa up here?"

"Tony."

"Ah."

A loud silence followed that seemed to stretch on forever. Pulling my feet under me I bit my nails a little as Steve leaned his head back.

"I'm sorry for being so blunt-"

"What's with the plants?"

We spoke at the same time. Grinning I gestured for him to speak first, "The plants." He glanced around at the numerous plants I'd brought up to decorate. "I brought you a cactus for your old apartment and you managed to kill it in a week."

I planted my feet on the ground as I twisted my body to face his teasing head on. "That wasn't my fault though!"

"How do you kill a cactus? I thought they didn't even need watering?" He continued, ignoring my obvious embarrassment.

"Monty was a special cactus that just couldn't take life."

"More like you _took_ poor Monty's life." He laughed, catching me off guard I started laughing too at the memory of Steve's heartbroken face when I told him that Monty had passed on. Holding his arm out I suppressed a smile as I shuffled over to give him a hug.

"I didn't mean to sound so harsh." I whispered when he took my hand.

"I know." Reassuringly he squeezed a little as the sun began lowering itself from the sky. "You keep my feet on the ground."

"And your ego under control." I snorted.

I giggled as he feigned hurt, covering his heart with the hand that was still holding mine. "Ego? I don't think there's room for anyone else's ego in this tower thanks to Stark's." We laughed as I cuddled into him more, relieved that everything was okay again between us.

"What's going to happen now?" I asked quietly. I could feel my eyes drooping closed from exhaustion, fighting sleep I forced them open just long enough to see the sun setting on the horizon.

"We wait." With one last look out at New York I felt sleep pull me backwards into a peaceful dream.

If I had my eyes open I would have seen Steve's jaw twitch, I would have seen the fear in his eyes for his friends and his future and I would have seen that he was more determined than ever to make things right; I would have seen that Captain America was afraid.

**Shorter chapter! But I wanted to really get this story going with as many chapters as possible as quickly as possible without them being really crappy. **

**Hopefully the characters are in character and no one is too OOC. I promise that there will be more Bucky in the next chapter, Andy had to get settled in first didn't she? :)**

**Thank you all for your lovely reviews, hopefully this chapter was alright. I struggled in places but hopefully you guys are as happy with it as I am overall :)**

**I don't think there's a nice way to put it, but please keep reviewing to make my day at work even better! **


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